When a hapless traveler unwittingly sets the dreaded Red Dragon loose on Japan, there is only one hope for salvation: Silver Samurai! Danger! Excitement! Sushi! Armando Abarca-Salvador conjures visions of myths and heroes, monsters and emperors, in his play, Silver Samurai.

Armando is a student at Tubman Elementary School.

Ja’Neza Andrews-Washington’s The Confusion of Being in the Army follows Qy-fee, a recent high school graduate and Army recruit. Qy-fee’s best friends are headed to college but he is pulled in a different direction. Will Qy-fee find his happiness? Will his friends stick with him? Will they ever be reunited?

Ja’Neza is a student at Powell Elementary School.

In Aoife Butler’s play Empathy vs. Appetite, the celestial bodies wage a war for humankind’s future. The Moon wants to eat us all and the Sun wants to save us. With the help of twins Anabeth and Amanda, will the Sun prevail? Who knew the Moon could be so mean?!

Aoife is a student at Washington Latin PCS.

Everyone knows that tigers eat mice. But Tiger doesn’t want to eat the Mouse at the top of the tree: he wants to save him. Can Tiger beat his father and the conniving Eagle to reach the Mouse in time? Will he overcome his father’s oppression and live his own life? The answer is in Jabari Hicks’ play, The Tiger and the Mouse.

Jabari is a student at Savoy Elementary School.

Master Bacon has had just about enough. His friends keep getting eaten, the evil butler is always afoot and Bacontown is on the verge of collapse. Will a last-ditch alliance with the pigs be enough to stop “Butler Bacon Day”? Find out in Rachel Masterson’s The Bacon’s Revenge!

Rachel is a student at Hyde-Addison Elementary School.

In Aijah Royal’s Trip to the New World, Kathren seems like a normal girl with a normal life. She goes to high school and argues with her dad—except that Kathren does it all in High School World, inside of a cell phone! When Kathren decides to break free of the bonds of Wi-Fi and see the New World, she finds new challenges and technical difficulties aplenty!

Aijah Royal is a student at Orr Elementary School.

April 21

Don’t go out after 10pm, or Losxy Docxy will snatch you! In this chilling tale inspired by African folklore, playwright Evan Alston tells the story of a family still haunted by the mysterious man who took their father. Find out what happens when Brean ventures out after dark and comes face to face with the figure of his nightmares … you may need to sleep with the lights on afterwards!

Evan is a student at Stokes Elementary School.

Xavier has the opportunity of a lifetime: to have his very own play produced by a professional theater company. Now all he needs is an idea! Will Xavier defeat Procrastination to write the next great theatrical masterpiece? Find out in All the World’s a Stage, Rose Duane’s tongue-in-cheek look at the writer’s process.

Rose is a student at Swanson Middle School.

It’s a showdown between fairies and snowmen in The Ruler of All Worlds, when Emily and Joe face off in an election for the coveted position of “Ruler of All Worlds.” Vanessa Iglesias’ play offers a humorous look at the political process, with a twist ending!

Vanessa is a student at The Lab School of Washington.

High school student Ayo dreams of performing spoken word, but her friends and family think she’s wasting her time with “the arts.” In Ayo’s Audience, playwright Kaitlyn Murphy tells the poignant story of young person finding her voice and the courage to pursue her passion.

Kaitlyn is a middle school student at Cardozo Education Campus.

Time travel, mad scientists and an unforgettable protagonist collide inMrs. Chang, Nanichi Vargas’ tale of a spirited elderly woman who travels back to 1960s Chinatown to recapture her younger days. Along the way, Mrs. Chang learns important lessons about reliving the past and appreciating the present!

Nanichi is a middle school student at Columbia Heights Education Campus.

April 22

Dominique Butler's Like Father, Like Son tells the story of Domo, whose father has been in and out of prison his whole life. After Domo has his own run in with the law, he has to decide whether he wants to follow in his father's footsteps or choose his own path—before it’s too late.

Dominique is a high school student at Cardozo Education Campus.

How far would you go to protect a sibling? That's the question that Dania Canales' Sophia and Ernesto! asks. Watch as a brother and sister's bond is tested as they deal with issues of love, honesty and faith in the aftermath of a horrible accident.

Dania is a student at Wakefield High School.

In James Domchick's The New World, Professor Kellan Iago looks back over his childhood as a lonely young genius while welcoming his newest creation, Nathair, into the world. Enter Doctor Iago’s underground lab and prepare to usher in the next phase of human evolution!

James is a student at Chelsea School.

Tim Brown just wants to be somebody, but first he has to escape the bullies that make his life at school a nightmare. Can a new student and an unlikely ally help him make his dreams a reality? Find out in Edward Wade's A Nobody!